they're all about duty

First off, what's this Blogger Beta madness all about? I fear change. And the fact that Blogger seems very badly to want me to switch to it makes me... not want to. I guess I'm just feeling crotchety lately. So, someone explain it to me using small words, and then I'll go off on a rant about walking to school in the snow, up-hill both ways, and then beat you with my cane. Sound good?

I find myself oddly fascinated by Michael Ignatieff. I don't even know how to properly pronounce his last name. But whenever the Star, or the Globe, or Maclean's runs a feature on the man, I feel compelled to read it. I've read several "in-depth" articles on him, all of which pretty much said the same things. I don't know what I think of him. I don't know that I'd vote for him. I don't know if he'd make a good prime minister. If I ever met him, I'd be too intimidated by his storied intellect to say a damn word. Bob Rae, now... he's just as smart and educated, but I feel like if I ever met him, I wouldn't immediately have to leave the room crying because I'd just said something completely embarrassing and idiotic. I was just a kid when he was premier, so I don't have all that angst about how he apparently screwed up the province. And I'm more NDP than Liberal, in the grand scheme of things.

Come to think of it, I actually distinctly remember the beginning of this Ignatieff thing. It was an article in Maclean's several years ago. It was about the names being bandied about for worthy successors to Jean Chretien--basically, a search for someone to save the country. I don't think I'd ever heard of him before, but suddenly there his name was, as someone being courted by the Liberal party, but who was turning it down. My curiousity was piqued. I think I thought something vague about duty, and wondering why this "philosopher king" would refuse when his country called. I don't know. I was younger, and idealistic-er.

Enough ramblings about the political atmosphere in Canada. I have to pack an overnight bag and haul ass to the Hammer, where me an my cronies are going to watch some Arrested Development and pretend we're still at 10 Stanley.